Tuesday, 9 June 2009

Gyoza/Chinese dumplings/potstickers

Seeing this month;s got a big smile on my face. Living in Japan Ive seen abundance of these but to my bad luck never got a chance to eat enough of these. You hardly find vegetarian stuff here, Japanese don't find a reason to NOT eat Egg, Meat, Fish, Beef... etc... So unlike me who has millions reasons not to eat the above i loose onto a lot of things available here to eat. Gyoza, Is my new found love for Asian cuisine, We recently found a Chineseramenrestaurant who serves vegegyoza'a and they taste amazingly YUM!!Gyoza is an Asian dumpling, originating in China before becoming a staple in Japanese cuisine. In the United States, gyoza is commonly sold as a "potsticker," or “potstickers.” Gyoza is made from a very thin dumpling skin, and is filled with meat and vegetables. A soy based dipping sauce typically accompanies gyoza.I have made these before at home but always used the store bough wrappers. No doubt they easy to easy but there is a whole new sense of accomplishment when you roll the sheets at home. The recipe given of the dough is amazing to work with. So ya this was a easy challenge for me and had great fun making them, and my hubby had more fun relishing them! :) He says this is like a awesome Saturday night munch to go along with drinks!! :)Dough:2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour1/2 cup (113g) warm water flour for work surfaceMake the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).Make the dough, Method 2 : In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.Dipping sauce:2 parts soy sauce1 part vinegar (red wine or black)few drops of sesame oilchili garlic paste (optional)minced ginger (optional)minced garlic (optional)minced green onion (optional)sugar (optional)Few leaves of Coriander.Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

Mix all the above ingredients in a pan n fry over medium heat until cooked. Cool the mix and grind it to a paste.

Your filling is ready to be crimped in between your gyoza sheets.

I luckily found this very inexpensive gyozacrimper in one of our local stores here... i must say this made my job sooooo easy. I did make a few with my hand but crimping them with the machine gave it a Pro look :) The pics will explain it better.

Cooking the Gyoza:

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutesTo pan fry (potstickers): Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve

AWESOME!! is the verdict for it! All i can say is.. i already have another batch of filling ready in my fridge to be crimped up pretty soon!!! :)

Good work Sandhya!!!!its very difficult for me to resist gyoza....but being a vegetarian culdn't do that.I buy those wonton wraps from super and was using them to make samosas with potato filling. Cabbage filling is a very good alternative for potato. Just wanted to say thanks to u...i have tried this one n it was really yummy!!!